Steven Bartlett accused of amplifying dangerous health claims on his podcast
Diary of CEO host Steven Bartlett has been criticized by health experts for amplifying harmful health information on his No. 1-ranked podcast, potentially putting cancer patients at risk.
The Dragons’ Den star is facing questions after guests on the podcast made unsubstantiated health claims, such as that cancer can be treated by following a keto diet.
Health experts warned that the claims could have serious consequences for people who were seriously ill and discouraged listeners from following some of the advice.
On Friday one investigation by the BBC World Service found that guests had little to no challenge. Experts told the BBC that it was dangerous not to question these debunked claims because it created a distrust of conventional medicine.
An analysis of fifteen health-related podcast episodes found that each episode contained an average of fourteen harmful health claims that contradicted extensive scientific evidence.
However, Flight Studio, Bartlett’s podcast production company, said guests were afforded “freedom of expression” and were “thoroughly investigated”.
The podcast, launched in 2017, has 7 million subscribers. Last year, monthly views increased from 9 million to 15 million.
In the eight-month period analyzed by the BBC, some guests labeled as health experts shared misleading claims, including anti-vaccination conspiracies, claiming that Covid was a technological weapon, that polycystic ovary syndrome, autism and other disorders could be “reversed” become. with diet and that evidence-based medications are “toxic” to patients, downplaying the success of proven treatments.
Heidi Larson, an expert on public trust in healthcare, told the BBC: “They (the guests) are way overloaded. It steers people away from evidence-based medicine. They stop doing things that could have side effects, even though it could save their lives.”
In an October episode, Dr. Thomas Seyfried told Bartlett that cancer treatment could be helped by following a keto diet, according to the BBC. He compared modern cancer treatments to ‘medieval medicine’.
In another podcast episode in July, doctor Aseem Malhotra said that “the Covid vaccine was a net negative for society.”
A spokesperson for Flight Studio claimed that each guest episode was thoroughly researched before being commissioned.
“DOAC offers guests freedom of expression and believes that progress, growth and learning come from hearing a range of voices, not just those that Steven and the DOAC team necessarily agree with,” she added.
They said the BBC had watched just 15 episodes of the almost 400 published so far.
“If any reporting focuses on less than 4% of episodes with an extremely limited number of guests – some of whom have appeared on the BBC – creating a broader, and in our view partial, story is disappointing, misleading and honestly unfair. ” she added.
In August, two nutrition ads ran on Facebook for the diet app Zoe and the food replacement supplement Huel, featuring recommendations from Bartlett, banned by the advertising watchdog because it is ‘misleading’.
Bartlett praised the products in three sponsored posts shared on Facebook in February and March. However, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) claimed the ads were misleading because they did not make it clear that Bartlett was an investor in Zoe and a director of Huel.